Other lordship · Other imperial lands · as at first light, 1 January 1200

Matildine castles

The great castles of Countess Matilda in the Apennines south of Reggio, Canossa itself and Carpineti, have no single master.

The pope claims them as Matilda's gift to the Church; Philip of Swabia holds Henry VI's grant of them (1195), but he is fighting for the German crown and has no man here. On the ground local castellan families, the abbot of Canossa and the mountain communities hold them, while the commune of Reggio and its neighbours nibble at their edges: Reggio will take Carpineti's oath in 1218 and destroy Canossa in 1255. The Emilian Matildine lands, not only the Tuscan ones, are part of the claim noted in the campaign notes.

Who he is

Name
Claimed by Pope Innocent III and by Philip of Swabia; held on the ground by castellans and communities not pinned
Title
Claimants and holders
Since
Philip's grant: 1195; Innocent's claim: from 1198
Family
Countess Matilda's inheritance (died 1115)
Confidence
medium

Matilda died in 1115 leaving her lands to the Church; the emperors held them in practice. Welf VI held them under Frederick I and sold his rights to him in 1173-1174; at Venice in 1177 Frederick won a 15-year use of parts of them; Henry VI made his brother Philip duke of Tuscany and lord of the Matildine lands in 1195 (campaign notes Part 5). Innocent III claims them, but on 1 January 1200 neither the pope nor Philip has an officer in the Reggio hills.

Carpineti, as Matilda's allodial castle, was attacked by neighbours, the da Baiso, the Parmesan partisans of Moroello Malaspina and the commune of Reggio; its people swore to Reggio only in 1218. Who held the castle of Canossa in 1200 is not pinned: it passed through 'alternating fortunes' to Matilda's successors before Reggio destroyed it in 1255.

Overlord

Disputed between the papacy and the empire.

What it holds

  • Canossa: the castle on its rock, with the abbey of Sant'Apollonio (holder that winter not pinned)
  • Carpineti (the Castello delle Carpinete): Matilda's castle and court, contested by the da Baiso, the Parmesan partisans of Moroello Malaspina and the commune of Reggio
  • Rights claimed over the other Matildine castles in Reggio's hills (Bianello and the Quattro Castella, held by the da Canossa and the dalla Palude)

How it was acquired

Matilda's death in 1115 and the long dispute between the papacy and the empire; Philip of Swabia's grant of 1195.

Allies and rivals

Rival claimants: Innocent III and Philip of Swabia (and Otto IV, who in 1201 will promise the lands to the pope). Local rivals: the commune of Reggio, the da Baiso, partisans of the Malaspina.

How things stand that morning

No claimant holds: the castles are in the hands of their castellans and of the mountain communities, with Reggio's commune creeping in.

Wealth

Hill estates, wood, pasture and the roads from the Reggio plain to the passes.

Military

Strong rock castles without a master's garrison; no figures.

Threats

  • The commune of Reggio
  • Rival local lords

What the year holds

What happened next, if nothing in play changes it. Each event carries what it depends on and what would stop it.

  1. 8 June 1201 (beyond 1200)Otto IV's promise at Neuss recognises the papal claim to Matilda's lands.Depends on: Innocent III's turn to Otto. Stopped by: A papal settlement with Philip.
  2. 1213 (beyond 1200)Frederick II's Golden Bull of Eger renounces the Matildine lands for the empire; by then the communes of Modena and Reggio have whittled them down and made their vassals swear citizenship.Depends on: Frederick's need of papal support. Stopped by: Another king's refusal.
  3. 1218 (beyond 1200)The people of Carpineti swear loyalty to the commune of Reggio.Depends on: Reggio's advance into the hills. Stopped by: A strong local lord or an imperial officer.

Places of note

  • Canossa: Matilda's rock castle; scene of Henry IV's penance in 1077
  • Carpineti: Matilda's castle and court, contested by her neighbours

Where the sources disagree

  • campaign notes Part 5 describes the lands of Countess Matilda as lying 'in Tuscany'; the claim also covers her Emilian castles (Canossa, Carpineti, Bianello and the Quattro Castella, in the Reggio hills), which are drawn here.

Evidence: The claims are well attested; who sat in Canossa that winter is not.

On the map: Modern comuni stand for the castle districts; Canossa's comune includes Rossena, drawn under the da Canossa.

Primary sources for Empire

Chronicles, registers, sagas and inscriptions written in or near 1200 that cover this entry. Each has its own page with editions, translations and where to read it.

8 more in the sources library for The Rhineland, the Low Countries and the Swiss Lands.

Sources and studies

  1. Mathildische Güter (de.wikipedia)
  2. Castello di Canossa (it.wikipedia)
  3. Castello delle Carpinete (it.wikipedia)
  4. Canossa (famiglia) (it.wikipedia)

Last revised 4 November 2026. Published 4 November 2026. Suggest a correction on the OMNIA Discord.